Shoe-sewing machine.



No. 771,200. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904. E. E. BEAN. SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 9, 1901. N0 MODEL.

.e SHEBTS-SHEBT 1.

Witnesses: I Q IRQIJCHZDIL' MM b f m as; y? 7 m N0."771,200.' PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904. .E.E.BEAN.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1901. NO MODEL.

6 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

No. 771,200. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

B. E. BEAN.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED mm), 1901. N0 MODEL. e SHEETS-SHEET s.

m'tzwsscs: .Ziwenior.

M gnaw/66 W No. 771,260. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

E. E. BEAN.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1901.

N0 MODEL. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Vlllllll E my 4% F N Witnesses: lzweniznxm ga 3 W 3 PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

E. E. BEAN.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9. 1901.

Q SHEETS-SHEET 5.

no uoimn. v

liilliiillk Mtzwsses:

No. 771,200. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

E. E. BEAN.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9, 1901.

N0 MODEL. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN E. BEAN, OF WARNER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

SHOE-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,200, dated September 27, 1904.

7 Application filed August 9, 1901. Serial No. '7I,422. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

in the county of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a shoe-stitching machine which is specially designed to sew the outer sole to a Welt or to an inner sole which has previously been sewed to the upper. So far as I am aware all machines which have been designed for this purpose have been either two thread machines, employing a shuttle and forming the ordinary lock-stitch or single-thread machines forming the loop or chain stitch. A shuttle-machine which is employed for this purpose is open to several serious objections. In order to permit the shuttle to pass through the needle-thread loop,the needle must form a very large loop, which must be all taken up before the stitch is set, and in many machines of this character from six to eight inches of thread must be taken up. As but a small portion of this thread is necessary for each stitch, it follows that a given short length of thread will be drawn back and forth through'the work many times (often from sixteen to twenty) before it is finally left in the work. This removes a greater portion of the wax from the thread and frays and weakens it to a great extent. A fresh bobbin must be placed in the shuttle at frequent intervals, and the thread in the bobbin is also liable to run out while a shoe is partly stitched, making an imperfect place in the work, after the operator has had the trouble of removing the shoe, renewing the bobbin, and replacing the shoe at the exact point where the shuttle-thread ran out. Although each stitch is independently locked in the lock-stitch, yet it often happens that when the thread is worn off the constant strain and pulling on the stitches, caused by the bending of the sole in wear, will cause the upper thread to pull the loops of the under thread which have become worn off up through the sole and welt, thus practically pulling out the stitch and causing the seam between the sole and welt to open. The principal objection to the chain-stitch is that as the loop must be laid along the bottom of the sole a ridge is formed which cannot be effectively buried in a channel. The liability of the chain-stitch .to unravel when the thread is broken at one point is well known. Moreover, both of these classes of stitches are objectionable for the purpose above named on account of the fact that they make the sole of the shoe very stiff. The reason for this is that the stout linen under thread in the lockstitch is very tightly drawn along the bottom of the sole, as is also the double thread or loop of the chain-stitch, so that when the sole is bent even slightly in the act of walking a severe strain is brought on these threads, either preventing the sole from being bent or stretching or breaking the thread or causing it to cut into the stock.

The general object of my invention is to produce a machine in which the objectionable features above noted are avoided, and additional advantages secured.

I carry out the object of my invention by producing a machine which is adapted to connect outer soles and welts of shoes by a form of stitch which is now generally known as the loop-locked stitch and which differs essentially from the lock-stitch in that the needlethread loops are locked by inserted loops of thread or by two strands of thread instead of one. In connecting the outer sole and welt with this form of stitch it is very desirable, for reasons hereinafter explained, that the needle-thread, which is preferably a waxed linen thread, be carried along on the upper side of the welt and the locking-thread, which need be nothing more than a cheap cotton twine, be carried along the bottom of the sole,

preferably in a shallow channel. This form of stitch would be unsuited for this purpose if the locking-loops were left exposed on the bottom of the sole or channel, and the principal reason why this form of stitch has never been used successfully in this connection is because no machine has previously been devised which was capable of drawing the loose ends of the locking-loops into the leather to such an extent as to bury or conceal them and give the stitches the appearance of the well-known lock or hand-sewed stitches. Prior to my invention unsuccessful attempts have been made to draw the loose ends of these interlocking loops into the stock sufficiently to hide them, notably in case of the Drake machine described in the original patent, No. 155,932, of 187 1, and its subsequent reissues. This machine was described as capable of drawing the locking-thread entirely through to the upper surface of the work, so that four strands of thread ran through each needlehole. As a matter of fact, however, the Drake machine was never capable of drawing the interlocking loops into the stock to any appreciable extent; but their loose ends were to a greater or less extent left protruding from the surface of the work or in the bottom of a channel commonly used to hide the stitches.

The paramount and more specific object of my invention is to produce a machine which is botlrcapable of forming the loop-locked stitch and of drawing the bights of the needlethread with the locking-loops into the needleholes to such an extent that they are completely inclosed by the leather irrespective of the lip of the channel in which the lockingthread may be laid.

After a long series of experiments I have arrived at the conclusion that the primary reason that prior machines were not capable of drawing the loops into the leather was because after the locking-loop was inserted in the needle-loop and the latter drawn up to the surface of the work, so that the lockingloop was engaged by the bight in the needleloop, there was no slack locking-thread between the bight of the needle-loop and the point where the locking-thread was fastened to the stock at the preceding stitch. Under these conditions when it was attempted to take up the needle-thread still more, so as to draw the loops into the needlehole, one of several things would have to take place-the locking-loop would be partially or wholly drawn out of the needle-loop, (an unlikely occurrence on account of the force with which the latter grasps the former,) or the lockingthread would have to be stretched, broken, or made to cut into the stock or (what would almost invariably happen, provided the tension was strong enough) the needle-tl'iread would break.

I accomplish the desired result of drawing the loops into the needle-hole by providing a predetermined amount of slack locking-thread between the point where it is fastened to the work and the point where the needle-thread loop engages the locking-loop, so that practically both ends of the strands which pass through the needle loop will be free and there will be nothing to prevent the drawing of the loops into the needle-hole other than the friction of its sides on the threads. It is also particularly desirable that after the stitch is set the locking-thread shall be laid along the bottom of the sole with barely sufiicient tension on it to take up the slack, so that when the sole is bent in the act of walking no strain will be thrown on the lockingthread, and therefore the flexibility of the sole will be in no way impaired by the stitches, as it is when sewed by the lockor chain stitches. I am therefore enabled to provide an amount of slack locking-thread between a stitch already formed and the next stitch which is about to be set which will prevent this thread from being drawn tight after the stitch is set.

Aside from the highly-important advantages derived from the slack under thread, as previously explained, this form of stitch possesses other advantages of equal importance. Each stitch is independently locked in such a manner that it is quite immaterial whether or not the locking-thread is broken, worn ofii, or removed between the stitches after the shoe is sewed, for the two strands which pass through the needle-loop prevent any possibility of the latter being pulled-out. Another item of importance is thegreat saving in the cost of thread over the lock and chain stitches, the cost being fully twenty-five per cent. less on account of the very low cost of cotton thread compared with the cost of linen thread, the length of the linen thread used in the other stitches being nearly forty per cent. greater than in the loop-locked stitch. The machine which I have produced for forming this stitch possesses many advantages over prior machines of this character, and particularly over the shuttle-machine, in that only a short loop is pulled through the work, which must be taken up to set the stitch, as compared with the loop of three or four times the length which must be taken up in the shuttle-machines. Serious impairment of the upper thread before it is finally left in the work is thus avoided, as is also the inconveniences attendant to the renewal of bobbins in the shuttle before referred to, the locking-thread being drawn from a large ball of twine.

For a more complete disclosure of my invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of the complete machine. Figs. 2 and 3 are right and left side elevations thereof. Fig. 4 isa crosssection on line as w of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation showing different positions of the presser-foot Fig. 6 is a partial crosssection in detail on line 1/ y of Fig. i. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views. Figs. 9 to 16,, inclusive, are perspective views showingvarious positions which the stitch-forming mechanism assumes in making a stitch. Fig. 1-7 shows the positions of the loops before and after the take-up acts to set the stitch.

The base 1 is provided with standards Qand IIO roll which engages a cam-path in the face of the cam 7. A bracket 19 is slidingly supported in a dovetailed groove 20 (see Figs. 3 and 6) in the base, and said bracket 19 carries a shaft 21, on which the needle-segment 22 is journaled. Said segment 22 is provided with a gear-segment 23, which meshes with a corresponding gear-segment on the end of lever 24, said lever 24 being provided with a roller at its opposite end, (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3,) which engages a groove in the face of the cam 11. The needle 25 is secured in said segment, has a hook on its left-hand side, and passes through a needle-guide 26, which is secured to a segment 27, the latter being journaled on a sleeve 28, (see Fig. 9,) which projects laterally from the needle-segment.

A spring 29 acts constantly to draw the needle-guide toward the point of the needle.

The feed-lever 30 is provided with a roll at its rear end which engages the cam-groove 31 in the periphery of the cam 12. The front end of said lever 30 is provided with an arcshaped slot 32, and a link 33 is pivoted at its right-hand end to the under side of the sliding bracket 19 (see dotted lines in Fig. 4) and at its opposite end to the bolt 34, which passes through said slot 32. A lever 35 is pivoted 3 to the under side of the forwardly-projecting Its right-hand end is portion of the frame. bent downwardly, as shown in Fig. ,1, and its left-hand end is provided with an upwardlyprojecting pin 36, which is bifurcated at its upper end and engages the opposite sides of the link 33. A spring 350 acts constantly to draw bolt 34 into the rear end of slot 32. It will be apparent that when lever 30 is oscillated the bracket 19 will be caused to slide in its ways, and the distance through which it will slide back and forth and therefore the length of the stitches may be varied while sewing by changing the positions of the lever 35, which acts to vary the distance of the pin 34 from the fulcrum of lever 30.

A support 37 is provided with a rearwardly and horizontally extending shelf.370, and a throat or slot 38 is formed in said flange, as indicated in Figs. 14, 15, and 16, said support being firmly secured to the front end of the base. A presser-foot 39 is pivoted at 40 on the bracket 13, and a spring 41 acts constantly to press the end of the foot down on the work, which is held between the shelf 370 and said foot. A connn'ecting rod 42' is piv oted to said presser-foot at one end and passes through an aperture inthe'upper end .of a lever 43, said lever being pivoted at 44 and being provided in the usual manner with a roll (not shown) which engages acam-path'infthe side of cam 8. A thumb nut 45 on theend ofsaid connecting-rod 42 is adapted to adjust the distance which the presser-foot maybe lifted by the action of cam 8. A latch 46 is pivoted at 47 on the frame, and said'latch is provided with aface 48 at its front end, which is adapted to engage a shoulder 49 on the presscr-foot in all positions of the latter when.

it is in engagement with the work. A spring- 1 50 is secured at one end to a screw51 insaid.

latch and at its opposite end to a' screw 52in lever 18. A slotted plate 153 is secur'edtd said screw 51, and the screw'52 passes through the slot in said plate, so .that the latter may slide freely with respect to said screw 52. It will be observed that the spring 50. acts constantly-to throw latch 46 upwardly into engagement with the shoulder 49. A hancb lever 54 is pivoted at 55 on the presser-foot, and pin 56 (indicated in dotted lines in'Fig. 2) projects laterally from-'the'opposite end. of the lever 54 in position to engage. the upper sideof the-latch 46 near its end. The swing ing movement'of said lever 54 on its pivot 55 is limited by a pin 57, which is arranged in a slot 58 in said lever, said :pin 57 being fiked in the presser-foot:v F

The take-up mechanism comprises a shaft 59, which is journaled in the mid-plate of the machine and is provided with two, arms 60 61,, which are firmly secured thereto. The arm .60 is provided with a roll 62, which is loosely journaled in the end. thereof, and a connecting-rod 63 is pivoted to the end of the arm 61 at its forward end, and at its rear end it .is pivoted to the cam-lever 64. The lever 64 is pivoted at 65, and its roll 66 engages a cam-path in the side of cam 10.

The needle-thread 67 passes about a tensionwheel 68, which is supported on a bracket 69, the latter being supported by the wax-pot 70. The thread 67 passes from the tension-wheel down between a fixed jaw 71 and a movable jaw 72 into the wax-pot around two idle rolls 73 74, then through a cleaner in the bottom ofthe wax-pot, about the idle roll 75, up over the roll 62 of the take-up lever, and then downwardly through the passage in the end of the thread-guide 76, where it is in position to bev delivered to the needle. A lever 77 is pivoted at 78 on the rear side of the wax-pot, and the lower end of said lever is connected with the take-up connecting-rod 63 by means ofa friction-spring 79, (see Figs. 2 and 7,) which engages one side of said rod and presses the opposite side against the lever 77. The upper end of lever 77 is pivoted by a short link to the-jaw 72, so that when the connect- Ioo IIO

ing-rod 63 is drawn back to throw up the arm and take up the thread the jaw 72 will clamp the thread against the jaw 71.

The thread-guide 76 is pivoted to the frame by a screw 80, and a spring 81 acts constantly to throw the lower end of said guide to the left. A thread-arm 82, having a notched end, is secured to a shaft 83, which is journaled in the frame and is also adapted to slide horizontally therein. A crank-arm 84 is connected to the opposite end of said shaft 83 from the thread-arm, and a link 85 is pivoted to said arm 84 at its forward end and at its rear end to the cam-lever 86. The lever 86 is provided with a roll, (see dotted lines in Fig. 3,) which is adapted to engage a cam-path in the righthand side of the cam 12. The extreme lefthand end of the shaft 83 is provided with a groove 87, in which a clip 88 (see Figs. 1 and 8) is adapted to rest. The upper side of said clip is pivoted to the bell-crank lever 89, (see Figs. 3 and 8,) and a link 90 connects the opposite end of said lever 89 to one end of a cam-lever 91, which is in turn provided with a roll, the latter being adapted to engage a 1 cam-path on the left-hand side of the-cam 12. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) An arm 92 is secured to the arm 84 and projects forwardly (see Fig. 3) 3 in position to engage a shoulder 93 on the: guide 76 when the shaft 83 is moved longitudinall y to the right.

A looping-linger 94 is secured in a socket in the front end of a lever 95, (see Figs. 4 and I 6,) the latter being secured to a pivot-shaft 96, which passes vertically through the base 1, as shown in Fig. 6. ble of free vertical as well as rotating movements. with two rolls 97 98, which engage opposite sides of a cam-feather 99, which is formed on the periphery of the cam 9. lever 100 is freely-.;, pivoted on a horizontal The shaft 96 is capa- The rear end of lever is provided 1 (See Fig. 2.) A

shaft 101, (see Fig; 4,) .and the rear end of said lever is provided with a roll which engages a cam-groove in the left-hand side of the cam 9. The front end of said lever is provided with a toe 102, which engages a notch 103 in the upper end of the shaft 96. (See Figs. 4 and 6.) It will be apparent that the looping-finger may bes-wung laterally by means of the lever 95 and moved vertically by means of the lever 100, which acts to lift the lever 95 and shaft 96 when its rear end is thrown downwardly, so that said finger may be simultaneously nioved laterally and verti- The looping-finger 94 is provided with a thread-passage 112 in its vertical portion,

which extends upwardly in a diagonal direction. The finger is bent laterally directly above the passage 112 and is provided with a pointed end. A boss 940 projects upwardly from the upper side of said finger closely adjacent its poi-ntedend, and thread-passage 113 passes therethrough in a nearly vertical direction. The locking-thread 115, which leads from a suitable source of supply, passes upwardly through the passage 112 and 113 in order. A loop-holding pin 104 projects forwardly andhorizontally from a vertically-extending arm 105, said arm being secured to a flat bar 106, which extends rearwardly and is curved upwardly at its rear end, where it is pivoted to a crank 107, (see full lines in Fig. 4 and dotted lines in Fig. 2,) said crank 107 being secured on the shaft 101. An arm 108 is secured to the right-hand end of shaft 101, and said arm is provided with a roll at its end, which engages a cam-path in the face of the earn 6. The lower edge of the bar 106 rests on the base of the machine and is guided in a suitable groove to prevent lateral movement thereof. The crank 1-07 is normally in a nearly vertical position, so that when said crank is oscillated to a comparatively slight degree the front of the shaft 106 will be reciprocated, giving the loop-holding pin 104 a reciprocating motion. Said arm is also provided with a slack-threadholding pin 109, which is as much longer than pin 104 as the width of throat 38. A cast-oif 110 is secured to the arm 105 and extends laterally and is bent at right angles at its end, forming a for wardly-projecting finger 111.

Having described the general construction and means by which the various parts of the machine are operated and controlled, the operation and timing of these various parts may be described as follows: The parts are shown in their initial position in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 9 with the awl and needle withdrawn and the presser-foot locked down by the latch 46, so that to insert the work it is necessary to lift the foot. To do this, the handle of lever 54 is pushed rearwardly, first causing the lever to swing on its pivot 55 until the pin 57 engages the opposite end of slot 58 from that with which the pin is shown in engagement in Fig. 2. This movement will cause the pin 56 to throw the latch 46 down to such an extent that its end is below the end of shoulder 49 on the presser-foot. The foot is then unlocked and at the same time the lever 54 becomes locked with the foot, so that on further movement of said lever the foot will be swung on its pivot 40 and lifted against the action of spring 41. The bottom of the sole is then placed on the surface of the shelf 370 of the work-support 37, and on the release of lever 54 the edge of the sole and welt will be clamped between the foot and work-support and the foot will again be locked in whatever position it may assume. The thread-guide 7-6 and looping-finger 94 being properly threaded, as previously described, assumingthat a stitch has now been taken, so that the threads are secured to the work, when the cam-shaft is further rotated the front end of the awl-lever .18 will be swung upwardly, swinging the awl downwardly until it passes completely through the work. (See Fig. 10.) The end of lever .24 is then swung downwardly, swinging up .the needle, and simultaneously the awl is withdrawn and the needle follows it closely up through the work until they assume the positions shown in Fig. 11. The end of the thread-guide 7 6 is slightly in front of, below,

and to the left of the needle-hook when the needle has advanced to its limit. and while the needle is passing upwardly the shaft 83 is caused to slide longitudinally to the right,

carrying the thread-arm 82 laterally until its notched end is just below and slightly in front of the end of the thread-guide. The shaft 83 is then rotated, swinging the arm 82 in wardly and so that the needle-thread 67, which is then drawn directly downwardly through the slot in the foot 39, is caught in the notch of the said arm and a strand thereof drawn back to the diagonal or nearly horizontal position shown in Fig. 12 directly below and adjacent the needle-hook. As the thread-arm is drawing the thread to the diagonal position the take-up-arm islowered slightly, so as to give off the necessary slack thread. At the same time that this is taking place the front end of the awl-lever 18 has been thrown down to its fullest extent in the act of withdrawing the awl, so that the screw 52 in the lever engages the lower end of the slot in plate 53, drawingdown the latch to the full-line position shown in Fig. 5 and unlocking the foot, so that it is held against the work only by the action of spring 41. The connectingrod 42 is then drawn back by its lever and cam, lifting the foot out of engagement with the work, as also shown in full linesin Fig. 5. The front end of the feed-lever 30 is then swung to the left, drawing with it the sliding support 19, which carries the needle-shaft. The needle is thus carried to the left the desired length of a stitch, carrying the work with it. Assoon as the feed motion is completed the presserfoot cam releases the foot, so that the latter is again drawn into engagement with the work. The awl is then advanced to the position shown in Fig. 1, releasing the latch 46, so that the foot is again locked. As the needle is moved to the left its hook is carried against the thread, and at the same time the shaft 83 is moved longitudinally still farther to the right, carrying the arm 82 with it. During this last part of this motion of shaft 83 the arm 92 engages the shoulder 93 on the threadguide 76, swinging the lower end of the latter to the right substantially the same distance as that traveled by the arm 82, so that the thread is drawn firmly into the needlehook. The needle then recedes, drawing down a loop of thread with it, as shown in Fig. 13.v As soon as the needle-hook has passed into. the work the arm 82 is carried back laterally to the left arid is simultaneously swung forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 14, casting off the loop of thread which it has held, so that the strand of thread running to the preceding stitch is drawn tight against the work as the needle draws its loop downwardly through and below the Work to the extreme position shown in Fig. 14. The guide 76 returns to its normal position when the threadarm is swung back. As soon as the needle starts to draw down its loop the take-up arm is swung downwardly still farther, giving off slack thread to the needle. After the needle draws the loop through the work the take-up arm 60 comes to rest, so that during the remainder of the needles downward movement it will pull off thread from the supply through the tension-wheel 68. This tension needs only to be very light and just suifioient to take up all slack thread, so that no particular strain is thrown on the needle at any time. The bar 106 is then advanced, causing the pins 104 and 109-to pass through the holes in the flange 3170 of the work-support to such an extent that the end of the loop-holding pin 104 is just flush with the rear side of the throat in the shelf 370 and the slack-thread pin 109 projects entirely across the throat. (See Fig. 14.) The needle draws its loop directly between these two pins and comes to rest a short distance below the under side of the shelf 37 0, as shown in Fig. 14. As the needle approaches its downward limit the looping-finger 94 is carried upwardly and laterally in a diagonal direction, so that its end passes through the needle-loop as the needle comes to rest and while the loop is held by the needle. The strand of locking-thread which leads from the upper end of passage 113 in the finger 94 is thus carried under pin 109, as shown in Fig. 14. The finger 94 is carried on to the extreme upper and right-hand position shown in Fig. 15, at which time the locking-thread is drawn away from the upper side of the finger by reason of the upwardly-extending boss 940 and pin 109, so that the pin 104 may then be advanced and passed between the thread and finger closely adjacent the boss, as shown in Fig. 15. As the arm 105'is advanced to pass pin 104 through the locking-thread loop the finger 111 of the cast-off will also be advanced until it is adjacent the right-hand side of the needleloop. The bracket 19 is then moved to the right, carrying the needle with it, so that the side of the loop is brought against the cast-ofi finger. The needle is at the same time advanced slightly, loosening the loop in the hook, so that the loop will be freed from the hook by the time the needle is fed back to its extreme right-hand position. (See Fig. 15.) The finger 94 is then withdrawn from the needle-loop,

leaving the bight of the loop caught about the loop-holding pin 104, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, and the strand of the locking-loop which is fastened to the work at the preceding stitch is caught about the slack-thread pin 109, so that this strand is drawn to one side of a directline between the points where it is fastened and where it is held by pin 104. The

take-up arm 60 is then thrown up, drawing the needle-loop about the locking-loop, as shown in Fig. 17, and as soon as the needleloop is drawn up to the locking-loop the upward movement of the take-up arm is momentarily arrested while the pins 104 and 109 are withdrawn from the locking-loop. The latter then being free, the take-up lever draws the interlocked loops into the outer sole a suitable distance above the bottom thereof, as indicated in Fig. 17, setting the stitch.

It will be noted from inspection of Fig. 17 that pin 109 is beneath or slightly back of the preceding stitch, so that it measures off a length of thread ample to permit the two strands of which the locking-loop is composed to be drawn into the work the desired distance without actually drawing the lockingthread tight between the stitches. Pin 104 is as close to the needle-loop when the latter is drawn down as possible, so that the bight end f the locking-loop will project to one side of the needle-loop as short a distance as possible. The friction of the locking-thread through passage 113 is sufficient to cause the thread to be drawn tight about pins 104 and 109 as finger 97 is withdrawn from the needle-loop, so that the length of slack thread measured off by pin 109 and the length of the loop held by pin 104 is constant. As the take-up connecting-rod is drawn back to throw up lever to take up the thread the upper end of lever 77 will be thrown forwardly by reason of the friction connection between the lever and rod pressing the sliding jaw 72 against the needle-thread, so that the thread will be locked between said jaws 71 and 7 2. The thread will thus be locked during the whole upward movement of the take-up, the connecting-rod sliding between the lever 77 and friction-spring 7 9 during the entire take-up motion after the thread is locked. It will be obvious that the thread will be unlocked as soon as the takeup rod is advanced to give off thread. This particular means for operating lever 77 is merely illustrative, as this lever-may be operated by an independent cam and other forms of thread-locks may be substituted. As the distance which the needle-loop is drawn below the bottom of the sole or the upper surface of the support 37, on which the work rests, is always precisely the same, it therefore follows that the amount of thread which it is necessary to take up to draw the loops into the sole and set each stitch is constant. The takeup arm is therefore always moved a suflicient distance after the thread is locked to positively take up this constant amount of thread irrespective of the tightness with which the stitch may be set. The take-up is set so as to at least draw the loops out of sight in the needle-hole, and when this is done the stitch will be perfectly locked. As the distance which the needle-loop is drawn beneath the sole is very short, the liability of having the needle-thread frayed and the waX removed' from it by its being drawn back and forth through the work is reduced to a minimum. If the thread is well waxed when it is left in the work, the stitches will be much more firmly looked after the wax dries, and the thread on the upper side of the welt will be well colored instead of being nearly white, as it is when the wax is scraped ofl.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have produced a sewing-machine which is particularly well adapted for the purpose for which itisintendedand which possesses important advantages over all other machines of this class, and, what is most important, by the use of this machine I am enabled to produce a much superior article.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A shoe -sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work, means for passing a loop of locking-thread through the needle-loop so that the strand comprising the loop of said lockingthread enters and passes out at the same side of the needle-loop, means for measuring off aloop of the locking-thread between the point where it leaves the preceding stitch and where the needle-loop crosses the locking-loop, and means for drawing the needle-loop tight about the locking-loop and then drawing the inter-locking loops into the needle-hole within the body of the work.

2. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work, a looping-finger having a passage through which the lockin g-thread passes, aslack-th-read holder, means for causing said finger to draw the strand of locking-thread which leads from the preceding stitch about said slack thread holder, whereby a predetermined amount of slack locking-thread is measured off between the stitch last formed and that about to be formed,

means for causing said finger to carry a loop of locking-thread through the needle-loop, a loop-holder, means for causing the same to engage the bight of the locking-loop after the latter has been passed through the needleloop, means for withdrawing said looping-finger from the needle-loop while the lockingloop is held by the loop-holder, means for drawing the needle-loop tight about the locking-loop, means for disengaging said slackthread and loop holder, and for drawing the interlocking loops into the work.

3. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work, a looping-finger having a thread-passage through its end, means for causing said finger to pass through the needle-loop and carry a loop of lockingthread therethrough, means for withdrawing said finger, a loop-holder for engaging the bight of said locking-loop on. the side of the needle-loop opposite that from which the looping-finger enters and for holding the lockingloop while the looping-finger is withdrawn from the needle-loop, means for temporarily forming a loop oflocking-thread between the preceding stitch and the point where the needle-loop passes about the locking-loop, means for drawing the needle-loop about the locking-loop, means for causing the loops in the locking-thread to be released and for drawing theinterlocking loops into the work.

4. A shoe-sewing machine comprising a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work, a looping-finger having a thread-passage in its end through which the locking-thread passes, said finger being provided with a recess or contracted portion which is directly in the rear of said passage, means for causing said finger to pass through said needle-loop from one side thereof next the stitch last taken and carry a loop of locking-thread therethrough, a loop-holder comprising a pin or finger, means for passing the same into the space between the loopingfinger and the strand of the locking-thread which is drawn over said recess as it passes from said threadpassage to the preceding stitch, means for withdrawing said finger from the needle-loop while the locking-loop is held by the loop-holder, and means for withdrawing the loop-holder from the locking-loop and for drawing the needle-loop about the locking- 5. A shoe-sewing machine of the character described comprising a work-support having a throat, a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work and through said throat, a looping-finger having a thread-passage in its end through which the locking-thread passes, a slack-thread-holding pin, means for passing said pin across said throat below the surface of said work-support and on the side of the stitch about to be formed which is next the preceding stitch, means for causing s'aid finger to draw the strand of looking; thread which leads from the preceding stitch about said pin and carry a loop of said thread through the needle-loop, a loop-holding pin, means for passing the same through the bight of said locking-loop on the opposite side of said needle-loop from said slack-thread pin, means for withdrawing said finger from the needle-loopso that it leaves the lockingthread drawn about said pins, means for taking up the needle-loop about the locking-loop whileit is held by said pins, means for withdrawing said pins from engagement with the locking-thread, and means for further taking up the needle-loop so that the interlocking loops will be drawn into the work.

6. A shoe-sewing machine of the character described comprising a fixed work-support, a needle, means for causing the same to draw a loop of thread through the work to a predetermined distance from the surface of the worksupport, means for inserting a locking-loop in the needle-loop so that the strand comprising the locking-loop enters and passes out of the same side of the needle-loop, a take-up arm about which the needle-thread passes, means for locking the needle-thread between the takeup arm and thread-supply and simultaneously swinging said arm a constant distance so as to take up the needle-loop and draw the lnterlocking loops into the work to a predetermined extent.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my slgnature 1n presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN E. BEAN.

Witnesses:

LoUIs H. HARRIMAN, G. E. UCKER. 

